Multiple display network supporting HDMI-CEC
Methods and devices for manipulating HDMI-CEC messages transmitted over a network including at least two HDMI-CEC display devices with their associated at least two HDMI-CEC cluster trees that at least partially overlap, and enabling each of the HDMI-CEC display devices to communicate using HDMI-CEC with its associated HDMI-CEC cluster tree according to its current HDMI-CEC network view.
1. A network comprising: High Definition Multimedia Interface—Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) source devices, at least two HDMI-CEC display devices, and a manipulating switch;
wherein the manipulating switch is configured to enable each of the display devices to communicate with available HDMI-CEC source devices using HDMI-CEC; and
the at least two HDMI-CEC display devices can control the HDMI-CEC source devices as long as none of the HDMI-CEC source devices transmits a Transition-Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) communication; and when one of the HDMI-CEC display devices receives a TMDS communication from one of the HDMI-CEC source devices utilizing HDMI-CEC, the remaining HDMI-CEC display devices can still communicate with the other HDMI-CEC source devices utilizing HDMI-CEC.
2. The network of claim 1 , wherein the manipulating switch dynamically manipulates the HDMI-CEC network views of the HDMI-CEC devices.
3. The network of claim 2 , wherein the manipulating switch is located within one of the HDMI-CEC display devices.
4. The network of claim 2 , wherein the manipulating switch is located within one of the HDMI-CEC source devices.
5. The network of claim 2 , wherein the HDMI-CEC display device operates the required HDMI-CEC source device using an HDMI-CEC set-stream-path message.
6. The network of claim 2 , wherein a user operates the network utilizing the HDMI-CEC one touch play feature.
7. The network of claim 6 , wherein the manipulating switch comprises logic for selecting which of the available HDMI-CEC display devices to connect with which of the HDMI-CEC source devices.
8. The network of claim 6 , wherein the HDMI-CEC source device is connected to the HDMI-CEC display device that is already active.
9. The network of claim 8 , wherein the HDMI-CEC source device is connected to the already active HDMI-CEC display device instead of a previously connected HDMI-CEC source device.
10. The network of claim 6 , wherein the manipulating switch connects each of the HDMI-CEC source devices to the HDMI-CEC display device to which it was last connected.
11. The network of claim 6 , wherein the manipulating switch displays a menu to enable the user to select the desired HDMI-CEC display device to be connected to the HDMI-CEC source device.
12. The network of claim 6 , wherein operation by the HDMI-CEC source device causes operation by the manipulating switch.
13. The network of claim 2 , further comprising means for eliminating one or more hierarchic levels from one or more of the HDMI-CEC network views.
14. The network of claim 2 , wherein the manipulating switch is further configured to disconnect a device from one or more of the HDMI-CEC network views.
15. A manipulating switch coupled to a network comprising at least two High Definition Multimedia Interface—Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) source devices and at least two HDMI-CEC display devices;
the manipulating switch is configured to control the HDMI-CEC network views of at least a subset of the HDMI-CEC devices in the network so as to enable the HDMI-CEC devices to communicate using HDMI-CEC with other HDMI-CEC devices in their own HDMI-CEC network view; and
the at least two HDMI-CEC display devices can control the at least two HDMI-CEC source devices as long as none of the HDMI-CEC source devices transmits a Transition-Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) communication; and when one of the HDMI-CEC display devices receives a TMDS communication from one of the HDMI-CEC source devices utilizing HDMI-CEC, the other HDMI-CEC display devices can still communicate with the other HDMI-CEC source devices utilizing HDMI-CEC.
16. The manipulating switch of claim 15 , wherein the network further comprises at least one HDMI-CEC switch.
17. The manipulating switch of claim 16 , wherein the manipulating switch dynamically manipulates the HDMI-CEC network views of the HDMI-CEC devices.
18. The manipulating switch of claim 17 , wherein the manipulating switch is located within one of the HDMI-CEC display devices.
19. The manipulating switch of claim 17 , wherein the manipulating switch is located within one of the HDMI-CEC source devices.
20. The manipulating switch of claim 15 , wherein the HDMI-CEC display device operates the required HDMI-CEC source device using HDMI-CEC set-stream-path message.
21. The manipulating switch of claim 15 , wherein a user operates the network utilizing the HDMI-CEC one touch play feature.
22. The manipulating switch of claim 21 , wherein the manipulating switch comprises logic for selecting which of the available HDMI-CEC display devices to connect with which of the HDMI-CEC source devices.
23. The manipulating switch of claim 21 , wherein the HDMI-CEC source device is connected to the HDMI-CEC display device that is already active.
24. The manipulating switch of claim 23 , wherein the HDMI-CEC source device is connected to the already active HDMI-CEC display device instead of a previously connected HDMI-CEC source device.
25. The manipulating switch of claim 21 , wherein the manipulating switch connects each of the HDMI-CEC source devices to the HDMI-CEC display device to which it was last connected.
26. The manipulating switch of claim 21 , wherein the manipulating switch displays a menu to enable the user to select the desired HDMI-CEC display device to be connected to the HDMI-CEC source device.
27. The manipulating switch of claim 21 , wherein operation by one of the HDMI-CEC source devices causes operation by the manipulating switch.
28. The manipulating switch of claim 15 , further comprising means for eliminating one or more hierarchic levels from one or more of the HDMI-CEC network views.
29. The manipulating switch of claim 15 , wherein the manipulating switch is further configured to disconnect a device from one or more of the HDMI-CEC network views.
30. A method comprising:
manipulating High Definition Multimedia Interface—Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) messages transmitted over a network comprising at least two HDMI-CEC display devices with their associated at least two HDMI-CEC cluster trees that at least partially overlap; wherein the at least two HDMI-CEC cluster trees comprise HDMI-CEC source devices;
enabling each of the HDMI-CEC display devices to communicate using HDMI-CEC with its associated HDMI-CEC cluster tree according to its current HDMI-CEC network view; and
the at least two HDMI-CEC display devices can control the HDMI-CEC source devices belonging to their respective HDMI-CEC cluster trees as long as none of the HDMI-CEC source devices transmits a Transition-Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) communication; and when one of the HDMI-CEC display devices belonging to one of the HDMI-CEC cluster trees receives a TMDS communication from its respective HDMI-CEC source devices utilizing HDMI-CEC, the remaining HDMI-CEC display devices belonging to the other HDMI-CEC cluster trees can still communicate with the other HDMI-CEC source devices belonging to the other HDMI-CEC cluster trees utilizing HDMI-CEC.
31. The method of claim 30 , wherein each of the HDMI-CEC cluster trees comprises at least two HDMI-CEC source devices.
32. The method of claim 30 , further comprising the step of dynamically manipulating the HDMI-CEC network views of the HDMI-CEC display devices according to the current state of the HDMI-CEC cluster trees and the operating states of the devices in the HDMI-CEC cluster trees.
33. The method of claim 30 , wherein the HDMI-CEC network views comprise all the available source devices as long as none of the HDMI-CEC source devices transmits a stream; and substantially when one of the HDMI-CEC source devices starts transmitting a stream to one of the HDMI-CEC display devices, further comprising the step of manipulating the HDMI-CEC network views of the other HDMI-CEC display devices to reflect the available HDMI-CEC source devices.
34. The method of claim 30 , further comprising the step of eliminating one or more hierarchic levels from the HDMI-CEC network view.
35. The method of claim 30 , further comprising the step of disconnecting an HDMI-CEC device from the HDMI-CEC network view.
36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the step of disconnecting the HDMI-CEC device comprises spoofing the CEC physical addresses of the upstream and downstream HDMI-CEC devices.
37. The method of claim 30 , further comprising the step of operating the network utilizing the HDMI-CEC one touch play feature.
38. The method of claim 37 , further comprising displaying a menu to enable a user to select the desired HDMI-CEC display device to be connected to an HDMI-CEC source device.
39. A network supporting High Definition Multimedia Interface—Consumer Electronics Control (HDMI-CEC) comprising: means for manipulating HDMI-CEC messages transmitted over a network comprising at least two HDMI-CEC display devices with their associated at least two HDMI-CEC cluster trees that at least partially overlap;
wherein each HDMI-CEC cluster tree comprises at least one HDMI-CEC source device, and the at least two HDMI-CEC display devices are able to communicate using HDMI-CEC with their associated HDMI-CEC cluster trees according to their current HDMI-CEC network views; and
the at least two HDMI-CEC display devices can control the HDMI-CEC source devices belonging to their respective HDMI-CEC cluster trees as long as none of the HDMI-CEC source devices transmits a Transition-Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) communication; and when one of the HDMI-CEC display devices belonging to one of the HDMI-CEC cluster trees receives a TMDS communication from its respective HDMI-CEC source devices utilizing HDMI-CEC, the remaining HDMI-CEC display devices belonging to the other HDMI-CEC cluster trees can still communicate with the other HDMI-CEC source devices belonging to the other HDMI-CEC cluster trees utilizing HDMI-CEC.
40. The network of claim 39 , further comprising means for dynamically manipulating the HDMI-CEC network views of the HDMI-CEC display devices according to the current state of the HDMI-CEC cluster trees and the operating states of the devices in the HDMI-CEC cluster trees.
41. The network of claim 40 , further comprising means for eliminating one or more hierarchic levels from the HDMI-CEC network view.
42. The network of claim 40 , wherein the network is further configured to disconnect an HDMI-CEC device from the HDMI-CEC network view.
43. The network of claim 42 , wherein the step of disconnecting the HDMI-CEC device comprises spoofing the CEC physical addresses of the upstream and downstream HDMI-CEC devices.
44. The network of claim 39 , wherein a user operates the network utilizing the HDMI-CEC one touch play feature.
45. The network of claim 44 , further comprising logic for selecting which of the available HDMI-CEC display devices to connect with the HDMI-CEC source device.
46. The network of claim 44 , wherein the HDMI-CEC source device is connected to the HDMI-CEC display device that is already active.
47. The network of claim 44 , wherein the HDMI-CEC source device is connected to the HDMI-CEC display device to which it was last connected.
48. The network of claim 44 , wherein the user selects the desired HDMI-CEC display device to be connected to the HDMI-CEC source device using a menu.